Mahindra Racing going all in for Monaco ePrix

The iconic venue returns to the FIA Formula E calendar after a two-year absence

Mahindra Racing will be fighting to regain third place in the Teams’ Championship

8 May 2017, Donington Park: Mahindra Racing heads to Monaco for the fifth round of the 2016-17 FIA Formula E Championship with aims of chasing down the front of the field to regain third place in the standings.

Mahindra Racing drivers Felix Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld were unfortunate to be caught up in incidents beyond their control in the Mexico City ePrix, however the team is confident that the Circuit of Monaco will suit the superior energy management and pace of the M3Electro and could even be the venue where Mahindra Racing takes its first win.

Formula E will use a modified version of the iconic track around the streets of Monte Carlo, which is just under two kilometres in length. The fully-electric field will start on the iconic start/finish straight before a tight right-hander at turn one, going on to tackle the infamous Swimming Pool and Tabac corners.

The harbourfront circuit is notorious for being incident-filled, and in season one the team’s cars were involved in a multiple-car accident on the first lap. It’s probably the best opportunity for an upset to the status quo, and for Mahindra Racing to make a challenge for the top step of the podium.

Nick Heidfeld will be attempting to be the first driver to take a podium in Monaco in both Formula 1 and Formula E, while Felix Rosenqvist will be making his Monaco single-seater debut.

Dilbagh Gill, Team Principal said, "We are excited to be returning to Monaco for the next round of the season. It will be a great venue for us to launch our attack for consistently strong results for the remainder of the season. Mexico City was unkind to us, but we’ll be chasing down a strong result at the Monaco ePrix – after all, anything could happen here!"

Felix Rosenqvist said, "The speed of the car is better than ever: our race in Mexico was so much stronger than the first races this season. In Monaco, we need to get a good lap in qualifying to start in the top five. We want to avoid any mess at the first corner and if we start in clean air, we have a greater chance of a strong result. Monaco is my hometown now, but I’ve only raced there in karts in 2006, which was on a similar track to the ePrix circuit. It will be really special to make my single-seater debut in Monaco with Formula E!"

Nick Heidfeld said, "I’m really looking forward to Monaco, it’s a special circuit with lots of history – though it’s a pity we don’t race on the original longer layout. We have shown good pace but we are definitely targeting more points than we’ve had in the last two races! I’m all fired up for a good result, and with the M3Electro this year we have a better chance of winning. While there is limited scope for development I feel the team has worked well to close the margin more and more. It would be cool to be on the podium in Monaco for the fourth different single-seater class after my wins in F3, F3000 and my second place in Formula One."

Mahindra Racing is one of ten teams – and the only Indian team – to compete in the FIA Formula E Championship. It is also the first and only Indian team to participate in the FIM MotoGP™ World Motorcycle Racing Championship Series since 2011 and the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV) in 2012. Mahindra Racing enters the third season of Formula E with its own electric powertrain to power its quartet of electric racing cars. The new M3Electro, launched for season three, is already proving to be a competitive package netting two podiums, a pole position and two fastest lap awards from its first three races. Together with drivers Felix Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld, the team has high technical and sporting ambitions in the ground-breaking, fully-electric championship.

In 2015, Mahindra & Mahindra was recognized as the Best Company for CSR in India in a study by the Economic Times. In 2014, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000, a comprehensive listing of the world’s largest, most powerful public companies, as measured by revenue, profit, assets and market value. The Mahindra Group also received the Financial Times ‘Boldness in Business’ Award in the ‘Emerging Markets’ category in 2013.